In The Discourses, Epictetus discusses the two potential sides to resolution; a virtue or an illness. Are we willing to change our minds to be closer to the truth?
New Year, New King
A New Year in ancient Babylon. The particulars of the ceremonial pomp may be different, but the idea of a new year is the same. A look at the humbling of the king and what the coming of a new year means for us today. With quotes from Hal Borland, T. S. Eliot & more.
Embracing Our Roles
What is our role? Like actors gracing the stage, every day we wake to a role; or to be more accurate, various roles. Quotes from Shakespeare, Herbert & more.
Get out of Your Own Way
Get out of your own way. Once the obstruction is released there is life that will flow. And this is the truth. Life still exists beyond what hinders us. With quotes from Tolstoy, Descartes, Schuller & Seneca.
Seneca on the Fallacy of Travel
In Letter XXVIII of ‘Letters from a Stoic’, Seneca discusses the fallacy surrounding travel; what it achieves, and what it simply can’t. “A change of character, not a change of air, is what you need.”
The Glow of Enthusiasm
Fatalism is a dead-end road and enthusiasm isn’t something we can ever afford to abandon. With quotes from Bishop Doane, R.W Emerson, D. Carnegie & F. Guizot.
Rainer Maria Rilke and the Inexplicable
If we supposedly have all the answers, what kind of relationship can we have with the inexplicable or the mysterious? Rainer Maria Rilke discusses possibility in the unknown and danger in the absolute.
Rainer Maria Rilke on Letting in Sadness
In late 1902, a young officer cadet began corresponding with poet Rainer Maria Rilke. ‘Letters to a Young Poet’ is a collection of Rilke’s letters to the young aspiring writer. In Letter No. 8, Rilke addresses the transformative nature of sadness.
The Philosopher King
Marcus Aurelius was once the most powerful man on earth- a Roman Emperor. ‘Meditations’ reveals ‘The Philosopher’; a king concerned with being a good man. Including quotes from Meditations.
A Tale of Temperance
In recent history, the virtue of temperance has been associated with strict asceticism. A joyless lifestyle, filled with self-deprivation and suppression. But temperance was never meant to be an extreme. When we look further back in time, we find its essence and purpose. Quotes from Aristotle, Aquinas, Seneca & more.